Jenson Button is hoping for rain in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix to level up the playing field as he struggles with the new McLaren.

The closest Button came to the top of the times sheets in Melbourne last weekend was during the wet Q2 session.

But in dry conditions on race day the inferiority of the MP4-28 told. The three-time winner of the Australian Grand Prix he could only finish ninth.

“For this weekend, I don’t think we can expect an improvement in our fortunes,” said Button.

“But the thing about Malaysia is that it can be so unpredictable – particularly with the later start time on Sunday afternoon, which tends to see late-afternoon showers fall. We saw that last year, when Fernando [Alonso] won, and we know that the unpredictable weather can make it a lottery for everyone.”

“That’s something that could play into our hands – I do enjoy driving in changeable conditions, and would love the challenge of being able to run competitively in a car that we all know is not quite capable of challenging for victories yet.”

Team mate Sergio Perez produced a breakthrough performance for Sauber in last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix, finishing second, right on Alonso’s tail.

“For me, Sepang holds many happy memories,” he said. “I had one of the best races of my career there last year where I was able to push Fernando for victory until the closing laps.”

“It’s a fantastic circuit, really fast and demanding. It would be great to pull off another unexpected result for the team this year.”

In fairness to McLaren, all teams rise and fall in the sport if they are there long enough. Ferrari has had poor performance, too, and Red Bull won’t be on top forever. Williams serves as an excellent illustration, as they have done poorly in recent history but finished in the top three teams during many seasons; probably the majority of them.